Main Canon Changes
Rules Change Explanation for this Campaign: So I wanted to walk through some of the house rules/mechanics that are going to be different from canon for this game, which I think is going to largely address some of the hurdles/learning-curves that happen with Changeling: the Dreaming games. In my experience, I've never seen a Dreaming game where the distinction between chimerical reality and 'real' reality didn't eventually get blurred or forgotten, and inevitably that led to situations that either broke emersion or just broke the game. It's no one's fault, it's just hard to keep track of two overlapping realities that only inconsistently affect one another. So for this campaign we'll be getting ahead of that issue with a simple (but big) change: There is no 'chimerical' reality. Faeries and magical creatures are Real. Here are the most obvious differences that will make to gameplay: * Changelings are the reincarnated souls of fae born into human children whose bodies physically transform during their Chrysalis. They have a single form that matches their fae nature from that point onward, meaning many are obviously inhuman. * Therefore, a Changeling must find ways to disguise themselves in order to pass among mortals unnoticed. (Though, whether the Mists allow mortals to remember what they see is another matter, and there are Arts and skills that Kithain find useful for this.) * There is no distinction between Chimerical and Wyrd affects of Arts, so many powers are visibly obvious to anyone present, even mortals. (Though, again, the Mists will likely effect what they remember after the fact.) * The game concept of a Changeling's Seeming: In short, your Seeming is little more than the word itself. It is the apparent appearance of the mortal alias or disguise that you most often use when passing among mortals. This is more of an act of choice and style by the individual than it is something inherent to them. * Lastly, Chimera and other creatures/objects of the Dreaming are usually visible to Mortals, and can effect people and the world with ease. However, because they are not protected by the process of the Changeling Way (they were not born of mortal flesh and blood) or crafted of matter from the Autumn world, they are far less protected from Banality. Changelings and Aging: The relationship between Changelings and age is an ill-understood and inconsistent thing. On Kithain may seem to grow up and grow old just as a mortal might, and the next might not change across centuries, and there is no real consensus on why. Some argue that it may be part of the individual's fate and core identity, that growing older and changing is just an unavoidable part of the dream-story that that soul is destined to embody from one life to the next. Others say that it has to do with the toll Banality takes upon the body, and there might be something to that. While the mortal flesh and blood that they were born with shields them somewhat from banality, it is common for those who spend most of their time in the Dreaming, far from the banality of mortal life, to be long-lived, while those who succumb to high banality tend to grow weaker and sickly like elder mortals. But nothing is known for sure. From a mechanical standpoint, this means that the element of 'age' is not consistent and neither are the effects it would have on their supernatural Tempers (i.e. permanent Glamour & Banality ratings). All characters will begin at the same base beginning ratings, which experience and gameplay will alter. Arts, Realms, & other Magicks Obviously, this change in the metaphysics will have a big impact on how many of the Arts work. Please review the individual levels of Arts before buying/using, as nearly 40% of them have been at least adjusted to fit the setting. Freeholds A Freehold is technically a location within the Near Dreaming that Changelings have claimed and made their own. A Freehold almost always has at least 2 special passageways, one that leads from a point in the Autumn world and another that opens up into the Near Dreaming. While the Freehold has an entrance from the mortal world, and that doorway/entrance must be in a real location there, the interior of the Hold beyond that point does not necessarily match the geography of the Autumn world. See Freeholds for more detail on entrances, exits, access to Trods, etc. Other Mechanics: Merits and Flaws A huge number of merits and flaws have been significantly adjusted to fit this setting. See here for Merits and Flaws to view their mechanics for our campaign. This is not yet a complete list of all changes, but I aim for it to be by the time we are going live.